Gordon Strachan is the right man to tackle Scotland’s problems – but he is
being undermined by the attitude of some of his players, according to Neil
Lennon.

The Celtic manager also cast doubt on the youth academy system throughout the UK and voiced concern about the tendency to copy foreign methods instead of looking for root problems at home.

Lennon, whose Celtic side will try to close in on a second successive championship at St Mirren on Sunday, voiced his thoughts on the lean pickings enjoyed by the four home countries in Tuesday’s round of World Cup qualifiers.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all lost, while England managed only a draw with Montenegro who, despite their small population, are on top of their qualifying group.

Lennon contrasted his own apprenticeship with the more cosseted life of today’s forthcoming generation when he said: “They don’t clean the boots any more, they don’t clean the toilets. They’re not here at nine o’clock in the morning.

“We were on a YTS system. We got £28.50 and you had jobs to do during the day as well as training – getting kit ready, looking after first team players. That’s where you learnt respect for first team players and the game.

“Maybe that sounds really antiquated but it seemed to work 20-25 years ago. Radical change was bringing in the academies – based, I assume, on Clairefontaine in France – but that’s the problem.

“We always look elsewhere to see if we could get better when really we should be concentrating on what’s here and what works. We’re not producing the McAllisters, the Collinses or the McStays at the minute.

“In fairness to the Scottish team, when you lose the two Fletchers, Scott Brown and James Forrest – there’s four players who would start the game. But I look at the Scotland team – and I’ve said this for quite a while – I do worry about hunger.

“I’m not picking out individual players, but do they really want to play for Scotland? Or do they see it as a chore, coming away from the clubs where they’ve got a good lifestyle and they’re comfortable.

“You need to make a sacrifice to play for your country. I see it in other, smaller countries who are really proud and passionate. The sound bites are good coming from the Scotland players, but the evidence isn’t there. I think in terms of the national team they have to leave their egos at the door and sacrifice a bit more for their country.

“Maybe it’s a cyclical thing, maybe Scotland are just going through a low but I’m waiting to see the evidence of more and better coming through. I think Mark Wotte [the SFA’s director of football development] might be the right man but to go and copy a template from another country is dangerous because it’s a different environment culturally, socially, and in climate, facilities and finance.”

Lennon has long nursed the belief that youth academies are generally overrated. “Aston Villa have had a good academy for a number of years and they are producing a number of players but with the money in the Premier League, if the big clubs want a player ultimately they’ll go and buy them rather than develop their own,” he said.

“Ours is thriving, believe it or not – it’s going very well – but I’m looking elsewhere and I’m talking about England as well. people down there will tell you that they are working but I am not convinced there is any evidence of that. If you look at Man City is there anyone coming through? Liverpool – anything there?”

In contrast, Celtic will salute St Mirren’s achievement in winning the Scottish Communities League Cup – in which they knocked the Parkhead side out in the semi-finals – by forming a guard of honour for the Paisley players when they emerge from the tunnel on Sunday.

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” said Lennon, who confirmed captain Scott Brown will be out for four to six weeks after having surgery on an abductor problem.

“I’ve had it done myself over the years and I think it’s a sign of professional respect. It was their first trophy for 26 years so it was a great achievement for them – but we want to win.”

And with that the manager was off to attend to other duties. As he left, Celtic’s Lennoxtown training base echoed to the shouts of young players, in from the day’s training session. But, his listeners were left to wonder, how many of those kids – or any of their counterparts elsewhere – will make the grade in the tough world beyond its doors?